Speed-indicator.



PATENTED MAR. 17, 1908.

R. T. HAINES. SPEED INDICATOR.

APPLICATION FILED APE.29,1907.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

- PATENTED MAR. 17, 1908.

R. T. HAINES.

SPEED INDICATOR.

APPLICATION FILED APILZQ, 1907.

2 sums-SHEET 2.

UN ITED STATES PATENT GREECE.

srnnn mnzoeron.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented March 17, 1908.

Application filed April 29,i1907. Serial No. 371,006.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ROBERT THORN HAINES, a subject of the King of Great Britsin, of 26 ()snaburgh street, Regents Park, London, in the county of Middlesex, England, have invented an Improved Speed-Indicator, of which the following is a spccification.

The object of my invention is to provide a better and more effective means for automaticaliy ascertaining and indicating the actual speed at which a car or vehicle of any kind is traveling, and of ascertainii'ig and indicating the speed or velocity of revolving wheel shafts and all kinds oi machinery in motion.

All speed indicators and devices for registering and recording actual speed or velocity hitherto devised and with which 1 am acquainted are more or less uncertain in action owing to the fact that they do not depend in their operation so far as I am aware upon any certain definite mechanical action or prin ciple.

My invention is based upon the fact it is possible to wind and unwind s spring in such a manner that the ratio of winding and unwinding is proportionally varied with the increasev or decrease of speed so as to indicate definitely the ex'act increase or decrease of speed or velocity.

The present invention consists essentially of a spring arranged. so as to be wound by mechanism operated by the vehicle or mechiner and released or allowed to be unwoun by its own strength in operating other mechanism so governed or regulated that it will be operated faster or slower according to the increased or decreasei'l strength of the spring. The strength of the spring will he thus altered in exact proportion to the increase or decrease of speed and so indicate by the aid. of a pointer attached to it upon a dial 1 the exact speed or velocity.

It will be seen that/it is the altered position of the spring due to the diil'erences in the winding and unwinding which in turn, is according to the increase or decrease of speed which I utilize to indicate the velocity.

When the arts are ratio of win ing and unwinding are exactly proportioned and vs with the increase or decrease of speed. l urther the alteration of the position of the spring in consequence is in exact proportion to theincreaseordecrease of speed.

In order that my invention may be better that properly regulated the understood I will now describe it with reference to the accompanying drawings which i illustrate two practical methods of carrying it into effect.

Figure 1 is a central vertical section through a speed indicator constructed in accordance with my invention: Fig. 2 is a sectional plan on the line 1-1 in the precedim figure. Fig. 3 is an elevation of-a modifie or adjustable form of fan or flier hereinafter more fully described z'and 'Fig. 4 is a sectional plan view of the fan shown in Fig. 3. V

is a similar view to Fi 1 of a modified form of my invention: an Fig. 6 is a sectional plan, on the line 2-2, in Fig. 5.

Like letters of reference indicate the same or similar parts in the various figures.

In carrying out my Figs. 1 and 2 of the accompanying drawings, provide a coil spring at having its center end 0 attached to a pivot or spindle Z). On one end, the upper, of this pivot b I fix a pointer 'c, and near the other end, the lower, 1s fixed a toothed wheel (1. This toothed wheel (I is geared to one or more small toothed wheels c, c, which are rigidly secured to spindlesf, f, carried on the upper face of a large toothed wheel 9 revolving freely about the aforesaid spindle 1) upon a ball bearing. The toothed wheel 9 is geared with a second wheel It which is driven from any convenient part of the vehicle or other mechanism and operated by it.

I preferably support the up or ends of the spindles f, revolubly in a oosc frame or ring't' supported at its center upon a ballbearing j and adal'itcd to rotate l'reely about the spindle b. Pillars or supports Z1, 7c, are fitted where necessary to insure rigid connection between the wheel 9 and the frame 1'. Fans or fliers Z, Z, iixcd to the spindles If, f, for regulating or breaking the speed of rotation of the Wheels c, c. All these Wheels and parts are carried in an outer case m having a dial n on the top cover protected by a glass or other transparent shield n betwcen which and the dial the pointer 0 travels. To this case m, or to an annular and concentric part or casing mformed integrally there with the other end of the spring (I, is fixed. It will thus be seen that one end of the spring a is fixed to the pointer shaft 1) and the other ,to the case m.

In order to provide better adjustment for the fans or ilicrs Z, Z, I preferably make them in the form shown by Figs. 3 and 1- from which it will be seen that each fan i is made Fig. 5

invention as shown in in two parts Z, Z adapted to be moved over is as follows:-\\"hen the vehicle travels, or

in this instance the machinery is set in motion, the wheel h which is geared to the large toothed Wheel g causes the latter to turn and carries with it on its upper surface the small toothed wheels 6, e, which revolve by reason of being geared into the other center fixed wheel (Z. But instead of being allowed to revolve freely the wheels e, e are checked ;or retarded in their speed by the governor-like action of the fan blades 1, Z-so that they exert a pressure on the center wheel (1 to which they are geared and carry that wheel round with them, and also the shaft b and pointer c ven-tion illustrated by cured at b to the casing m.

attached thereto against the action of the spring a. That is to say, if the wheels 6 did not turn on their shafts or spindles f, the wheel (1 would be driven by a rigid connection from the wheel it, there would be no slip in the transmission of motion between the wheel h and the wheel (1, and the sprin a would soon be completely tensioned by lieing completely woun'd up, or completely unwound, as the case may be. On the other hand, if the wheels e, 6, turned on their spindles f, absolutely withoutopposition, or friction, from their fans, then they would rotate around the said wheel (1 as a track, the slip would be 100 per cent. and the spring a, would not be either wound or unwound at all. If, however, the fans Z meet with a resistance from the air, as they do in fact, then this resistance will cause a slip in the transmission of power from the wheel 71, to the Wheel d, which will decrease as the resistance is greater,-and therefore it will depend upon ithe speed of thewheel h. Again, the ten- '45 sion of the spring a opposing the action of 'the wheel it through the wheels 6' increases this slip. Furthermore, the springs action on the wheels 0 increases rapidly as the said spring is wound, so that in actual operation,

as the wheel h tensions the said spring, the slip rapidly decreases, with an increase in the speed of the wheel h, and rapidly increases with adecrease 1n the speed of-said wheel h and therefore a change in speed will turn the in such a direction and through such an angle as will accurately indicate such new speed.

'In the somewhat modified form of my in- Figs. 5 and 6, a is the coil spring attached at its center a to the spindle b which in this instance is rigidly se- The other end of the spring a is attached to a casing m which carries upon an extension "m thereof, as shown, a pointer c. Near thelower end of positions.

said part 1n imparting a means also actuated by said part,

ssassz the spindle b is arranged a large toothed wheel g ,adapted to revolve between ball bearings 71 I2 and to this wheel is geared the toothed wheel 71 above described. The

toothed wheel'g carries upon its upper surface the spintllesflf, which support the fans Z, I, and to which are fixed small toothed wheels 0, e, in gear with the toothed wheel a".

formed integrally with the spring casing 'm" which is revolubly mounted about the spindle 7) between ball bearingsv Z)", 5 i is a ring frame for retaining the spindles f,f. and pillars k, k in their vertical The toothed wheel at on the spring casing m being in gear with the small wheels e, e, which are carriedround by the wheel 9 in turn meshing with the wheel h is operated thereby in opposition to the spring g It may be here pointed out that in this form of my'invention one end of the spindle a is fixed to the case m which supports the winter shaft 1) and the other end is attached to said shaft b; or, in other words, the spring a is wound up about a fixed center instead of being wound round a revolving center as described in reference to Figs. 1 and 2. The operation of this form of my invention'willbe readily understood without further explanation, and it will be seen that as the wheel or gear 7:. is

a as above explained.

driven at a greater speed the correspond-'- ingly increased speed of the fans I, Z tend to compress the spring a and the pointer 0 will thus be moved in a relatively pro ortional degree as said'spring is retarded. en the s )eed of the car or other mechanism is reneed the pressure of the spring in opposition to the fans will return the pointer to a normal position. Furthermore it will be understood that it requiresagreater strength of spring to turn rapidly, and that said strength is increased as the velocity of the vehicle or mechanism itself increases, thus the pointeris turned with the spring to the proper position of the dial to indicate the actual speed.

Having fully described my invention, what I desire to claim, and secure'by Letters Patent, is

1. In a speed indicator the combination of a moving part driven at a speed proportional to the speed to be indicated, a spring, means actuated by said part and adapted to move in a given direction and thereby ut said spring under tension, said means a o actuated by said part against a resistance, and adapted to cause a slip in the'transmission of power from said moving part to said spring, and an indicating means for showing-the speed, substantiall as described.

2. In a speed in ic'ator the combination 'of a moving part, a spring, means actuated by a given direction and thereby tension to said s ring, said ut against the small wheels e, c, more 5 an in icating means for showing thespeed,

substantially as described.

3. In a speed indicator, the combination of a movin part, a pivot, a casing, a coil spring attache at its center to said pivot and at its outer end to a convenient part of the said casing, a pointer fixed to said pivot and adapted to be moved over a dial, a toothed wheel fixed to-said ivot, a small toothed wheel in gear with sai first mentioned wheel,

a fan for controlling said small wheel, a large toothed wheel upon which said fan and small wheel are rotatably mounted and free to rotate about said ivot and in gear with said movin parts, w iereby the combined efiorts' pf sai fan and said spring onsaid small Wheel is opposed to the efforts of said moving 5 part, and said indicator represents the difierence of said efforts, substantially scribed.

4. In a speed indicator the combination of a moving part, a spring, means actuated by said part in a given direction, and thereby tensioning said spring, a second means consisting of a fan, having two vanes adjustable to and from its axis, also actuated by said moving part in the same direction as said first means, and adapted to create a slip to as delessen the effect of said first means on said spring, said spring adapted to lessen said slip in an increasln ratio, and a dial and pointer for indicating t 1e speed at which the machine is running, substantiall as described.

In witness whereof I lave hereunto set my hand in the presence of two witnesses.

ROBERT .THORN HAINES. 

